Friday, October 23, 2015

Household Income Stable in September 2015

Median household income in September 2015 stood at $56,279, according to Sentier Research—not significantly different from the August median, after adjusting for inflation. The September 2015 median was 4.3 percent higher than the September 2014 median and 8.7 percent above the $51,756 median of August 2011, the low point in Sentier's household income series.

"Even though median annual household income did not increase in September 2015, we continue to see an upward trend in income that has been evident since the low point in August 2011," says Sentier's Gordon Green. "We have now recaptured all of the income losses that have occurred since June 2009." Sentier's median household income estimates are derived from the Census Bureau's monthly Current Population Survey. Median household income in September 2015 was 1.3 percent higher than the median of June 2009, the end of the Great Recession. It was only 0.5 percent below the median of December 2007, the start of the Great Recession. It was 1.7 percent below the median of January 2000. The Household Income Index for September 2015 was 98.3 (January 2000 = 100.0).Source: Sentier Research, Household Income Trends: September 2015

ABOUT ME

Demographer and editorial director of New Strategist Press, Cheryl Russell is the former editor-in-chief of American Demographics magazine and The Boomer Report. She has written numerous books about demographic trends. Ms. Russell is a professional demographer with a master's degree from Cornell University.